


The Realtor Mission

by ddagent



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M, Romance, Undercover
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-30
Updated: 2016-10-30
Packaged: 2018-08-27 22:39:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8419930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ddagent/pseuds/ddagent
Summary: Trying to identify a financial line to the Watchdogs, Mack and Elena go undercover as a married couple interested in buying a new home.





	

**Author's Note:**

> yoyorodriguez prompted: "can you maybe write mackelena + undercover or mackelena + high school au?" I went for undercover, I hope you like it! This is the first time I’ve written Mack and Elena together, so please be kind.

Mack had joined SHIELD all those years ago as an engineer; a glorified mechanic. Occasionally he went out in the field, but more often he was left alone to work with engine parts, grounding wires. Keep the birds in the air, keep his friends alive. After the fall of SHIELD, he’d tried to stay in the garage. But it was two years later and his status as a mechanic seemed to be scrubbed out in favour of _field agent._

The final line to be crossed? _Undercover._

 _“_ Are you sure no one else was available?” Mack asked, adjusting his comms so Coulson could hear him up in the Zephyr. “Maybe Fitz or even Piper...”

“ _No, no one else was available. It’s just a simple undercover mission, Mack. The realtor op is one of the most basic. Get in, get the info, get out.”_

Maybe it was one of SHIELD’s easiest undercover operations. But as Mack climbed out of the jeep, hand tugging at the shirt collar he’d been stuffed into, it seemed like the hardest thing he had ever done. Shirt, sports coat, pants that itched. A wedding band squeezed his finger. All of this in the LA heat so they could investigate a financial avenue to the Watchdogs. 

Daisy, before she had disappeared again, left them a lead in the form of a name. An account living in a well-to-do LA neighbourhood who had just recently put his house on the market. The plan was to get inside, search for a laptop that would - in theory - detail the Watchdogs financial dealings, before heading back out. Mack just had to act like a happily married man in front of the realtor, a small blonde by the name of Amber. 

She pulled up in front of the house, waving excitedly at him. Her black heels clacked against the pavement as she made her way over to the jeep. “Hi there! You must be Henry Barnes. I’m Amber, I spoke with your assistant on the phone.” 

Mack took her offered hand. “Yes, you did. So this is the house?”

“Absolutely! Your assistant mentioned you wanted somewhere in a good neighbourhood: good school district, lots of green spaces...and obviously room for a growing family!”

The sound of the passenger side door slamming shut cut Amber off. She peered around Mack and smiled at his _wife,_ the _mother of his child._ The realtor held out her hand. “Hi, you must be Maria.”

Elena Rodriguez pinned on a bright smile to mask her discomfort. She was wearing flannel and thin framed glasses, as well as more make up than Mack had ever seen her wear. Still, she smiled and shook Amber’s hand. “I am. And this...” She pointed to the small bulge protruding from her stomach. “This is Philip. He’s being a pain today.”

“ _Point made, Elena. But a pregnancy cover is less likely to draw any awkward questions.”_

Mack thoroughly disagreed, but then he wasn’t running this op. If he was, they’d have led a small team in when the owner was out at work. Not go through this charade of him and Elena dressed up as a married couple just to gain access to the damn house. He felt awkward as he tried to act like Elena’s husband. He fumbled with opening the front door for her; and an attempt to hold her hand failed as his palms were slick with sweat. So far this was a goddamn  _disaster._

 _“_ As you can see, there is a lot of open space downstairs leading to a _lovely_ garden.” Amber smiled at both of them as she described the pristine environment. “There is also a spacious garage adjacent to the property. Your assistant mentioned you like to tinker with cars in your spare time.”

Mack nodded dumbly. Thankfully, Elena saved his ass. She tightened her hands around his bicep, staring up at him with a grin. “Oh he _does._ His hands are always covered in engine grease. So filthy.”

“Well, let me show you the faucets in the kitchen!” Amber the realtor was desperate to make the sale. “Powerful enough to wash away _any_ grease or stains.”

“Wonderful.” Elena squeezed his upper arm. “I won’t have to clean so much when you want to hold me.”

Mack was starting to suspect a small part of Elena was actually enjoying this. Maybe not the fake pregnancy, but certainly making him squirm. Elena buried herself in the crook of his arm as they trailed after Amber into the nearby kitchen. He could feel the warmth of her hand through the thin fabric of his shirt; felt his throat close as her nimble fingers teased the buttons. Following her lead, he pulled her in close to his side; keeping his hand around her waist.As he caught Elena’s grin, he realised the move was a personal indulgence and she _knew_ it. 

“You two are _so_ sweet. Now the kitchen here is brand new, put in two months ago. All the appliances are top of the range and  included with the house. There is also this _adorable_ feature to help baby Philip cook with his mommy.”

Amber opened a cupboard door to reveal a set of steps in primary colours leading up to the stove. By his side, Elena snorted softly. “Little Philip is going to end up in the hospital.”

“ _I get it; you both hate this. But its get in, get the info, get out. I’m patching a call through to the realtor now. Should give you enough of a window to find the laptop, Elena.”_

Elena moved like lightning, but it would take her more than one run to check each room for the laptop they were searching for. As the realtor explained she had to take a very important call, they both got to work. Mack pulled out his phone with the schematics of the house, waiting for Elena to report back. The only sign that she had even been gone was the slight breeze floating across the back of his neck. 

“No laptop in the study,” Elena whispered. Mack crossed it off the schematics. “I’ll try the bedrooms next.”

The realtor was still busy on the phone, and Mack could hear the dim sounds on comms of Melinda May offering _way_ over the asking price on another property Amber was selling. As the call wound down, Elena was still unable to find the laptop. On her last run, she came back to his side with a smile. “It’s in the nursery.” 

Obviously their suspect wanted to keep the laptop hidden. “Good job, Yoyo.”

As May’s call to the realtor finished, Amber began walking back to them in the kitchen. Mack tucked his phone away inside his sports jacket, wanting to appear completely focused on looking around the house. It was just as Amber crossed by the stairs that Mack realised Elena was pressed firmly against the counter top, leaving no room for her fake stomach. Coughing, Mack slid an arm around Elena’s waist and pulled her into his side. He then adjusted the stomach to make sure everything looked okay. Elena realised what had happened and joined him in trying to fix her appearance. But her hands simply lingered atop his. 

“God, you three are just the _picture perfect_ family. What are your thoughts so far?”

“We love it!” Elena grinned, not moving her hands from his. “Could we see upstairs?”

“Absolutely! Take your time, I’ll meet you in the nursery!”

With the laptop found, it was now time to retrieve the information. Elena went to charge upstairs, but Mack held her back. She might be used to moving fast, but her alias  _Maria_ was pregnant. She had to take her time. Elena scowled and took baby steps towards the stairs. “When you called saying you wanted my help, I did not think I would have a _pillow_ shoved up my shirt.”

“This wasn’t my first choice of op either. But we’re nearly done. We just need to get a moment alone with the laptop.”

“You will have to do it. It will take me too long to find the files.”

“ _Elena, you’re pregnant. Just ask to use the bathroom and you’ll have all the time you need.”_

She bobbed her head as they finally reached the top of the stairs. “So _that’s_ why I’m _embarazada_.”

It was good to know that there was an actual reason why Elena was pregnant, and Coulson hadn’t forced him to play happy families with Elena as payback for the jibes he’d made over his partner’s burgeoning relationship with May. Their cover story actually worked perfectly, and Amber pointed Elena to the bathroom with a sympathetic smile. His purpose now was distraction. The master bedroom was far enough away from the nursery so Elena could get the information undisturbed. He peered up at the ceilings; stared at the mouldings and other features Coulson fed him through the earpiece. 

“This is really a great house.” 

“It is. And well within your price range!”

Mack nodded, peering into the master bathroom. “I’m surprised. I thought this place would go for a lot more.”

This was the first time that Amber faltered. She swallowed once, twice; her fingers moving all over each other. “Whilst your wife is in the bathroom, I am _legally_ obligated to inform you that...someone _died_ here. It wasn’t a homicide, just a suicide. In the garage. The father was a _deeply_ troubled man.”

This was the first time they’d heard about their suspect actually being a _corpse._ Through his earpiece, he could hear Coulson calling for someone to check the LAPD records. Mack played for time. “Such a tragedy. But I don’t think that’ll be a problem. We love this house, we can just repaint the garage.”

“ _Repaint the garage, seriously? Although you might need to - someone buried the files but we got them. Looking at the photographs, it was definitely suicide...if he stabbed himself three times in the back that is.”_

Mack tried not to react, instead he focused on looking for mould. He heard Elena’s footsteps outside as she made her way from the nursery to the master bedroom. They’d got in, got the info...now it was time to get out and identify who would want their suspect dead. 

Sure enough, Elena stepped through the doorway and appeared eager to leave. “Philip is not being kind today. Come on turtle-man, take me home.”

Amber’s ears picked up at the term of endearment. “Turtle-man?”

Elena just smirked, stroking his chest as soon as Mack stood by her side. “It’s a nickname. He spent too long asking me to dinner. In the end, I had to ask him. I prefer things to go _fast.”_

Going fast is _exactly_ what they should do. Mack smiled at the realtor, shook her hand with the one not lingering against Elena’s hip. “Thank you very much for your time. We’ll be in touch.”

Resting his hand against the small of Elena’s back, Mack steered them both out of the house and to their truck waiting out front. They stood for a moment, both of them pressing their hands awkwardly against Elena’s fake stomach, as they waited for Amber to drive away. Once the realtor had gone, their operation was finally complete. 

“ _Good work you two. We’ll meet at the rendezvous point, discuss where to go next.”_

Coulson signed off, and suddenly they were off comms. It took Elena all of two seconds to remove the fake pregnancy stomach and throw it on the backseat of the car. He was surprised when her wedding ring didn’t meet the same fate. Instead, Elena pushed forward. Her hand lingered against his bicep, and he felt the cold metal against his skin. 

 _“_ It was good to work together again.”

He nodded, gulping as Elena pressed even closer to him. “It was.” 

"It was nice pretending to be married to you.” She smirked, stretching up on her toes to brush her lips against his ear. “Shame we did not get to kiss. Perhaps next time, turtle-man.”

Elena pulled immediately away, swinging past him for the passenger side door. Mack just stood, blinking; unable to have any other thoughts other than that of Elena’s lips against his own. It had been nice to hold her, touch her, not have to worry about regulations regarding assets in the field. The thought of them sharing a kiss after all this time...maybe working undercover wasn’t so bad after all. 


End file.
